It’s been an interesting year for music festivals, in which most have made headlines for their follies and their corporate handlings rather than the music actually performed at the festivals themselves. It’s humbling to know that this year’s Riot Fest in Chicago went off without a hitch and was all about, you know, the music.

Additionally, it was one of few festivals so far this year that didn’t have the feeling of “festival fatigue,” in which most lineups tend to blend together as acts perform on a festival circuit. No, Riot Fest didn’t cozy up to that, but rather set out to provide thousands of people with fan favorites like Built To Spill, Ministry, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Jawbreaker, Wu-Tang Clan, Danzig, and Bad Brains.

Then again, there were the majors like Nine Inch Nails and Queens of the Stone Age, and “hardly” smaller acts Death From Above, TV On The Radio, M.I.A., Action Bronson, and Vic Mensa. Just in typing out all of those bands, this year’s Riot Fest might have had the best curated sets among festivals this year.

The three-day festival over the Sept. 15th-17th weekend was generally void of issues, with some exceptions in sound for certain acts. Otherwise, the power of these bands drove a generally hot weekend and gave every rioter in the audience reason to crowd surf.

KOLARS have hit on something magical. The Los Angeles duo have been around for a bit now, touring seemingly tirelessly and appearing all over the map (including Boise, Idaho) at festivals. Their dynamic, energy, and innovative brand of rock n roll seems to be catching on in earnest. They packed the Echo last week with an enthusiastic house.Continue reading…

With a killer musical lineup and a solid comedy set, the inaugural High and Low Fest was a success. The first year for anything, things can be rocky, but that wasn’t the case at all for this event. Continue reading…

Of any hip hop label, Rhymesayers is perhaps the most consistently exceptional. From Atmosphere and the Doomtree Collective to Brother Ali and Aesop Rock, the Minneaopolis label has been supporting some of the most incredible artists in underground rap and hip hop for years, putting out groundbreaking records. Grieves has always been on my radar since his first album, 88 Keys and Counting. His laconic flow and charismatic and charming rhymes went a long way to introduce me to the world of hip hop but until this past Saturday night, I had never gotten a chance to see him.Continue reading…

Atmosphere may self-deprecatingly label themselves “dad rap,” but this past friday night at the Wiltern, the legendary underground hip hop duo proved these dads still do it better than any of the young whippersnappers who have come after them.Continue reading…

Somewhere in between being one of the biggest names in music at the moment, selling millions of records, and writing hits, R&B superstar The Weeknd stopped in for a sold-out show at the Grammy Museum.Continue reading…

Smoke, laser beams and projections filled The Hollywood Palladium as Portugal. The Man completed their two day stay in Los Angeles. Frontman John Gourley and the rest of the Alaskan natives electrified the crowd with songs from their latest release Woodstock.Continue reading…

L.A.’s backyard festival FYF Fest took place July 21-23 at Exposition Park. The tightly curated festival featured a cross pollination of music to feed everyone’s soul. The 3-day festival featured performances by Frank Ocean, Missy Elliott, Nine Inch Nails, Björk, Anderson.Paak, & the Free Nationals, A Tribe Called Quest, Solange and Iggy Pop. The undercard was just as impressive as the headliners and not to be ignored.

Have a look at the festival photos and if you were there, tell us about your favorite moment from the “best weekend of summer”.

It would be difficult to find a more successful, influential, or prolific female pop rock musician of the last several years than Sheryl Crow. The 55 year old rock n’ roll legend stopped by the Grammy museum this past Wednesday for a candid look at her recently released 9th record and a short performance featuring her biggest hits.Continue reading…

This past weekend was a star-studded benefit for Sweet Relief, a non profit seeking to provide healthcare for career musicians. Covering all the biggest hits of the 80’s, performers like Tenacious D, Weird Al, Sarah Silverman, Taking Back Sunday, Anberlin, Slipknot, Velvet Revolver and tons more all put on a night to remember at the Fonda.Continue reading…